Assessing Radios That Serve as 'Mid-tier' in the Tactical Network at Nie 16.2

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To support the mid-tier assessment, an enterprise Over-the-Air Management (eOTAM) demonstration of the MNVR will be conducted using the WNW waveform with the Joint Enterprise Network Manager (JENM) V3.3, an updated version of the JENM 1.2 version first evaluated at NIE 15.2.

With eOTAM, Soldiers not only have the ability to see what is happening across the network, they can make changes in real time. For example, if a radio has been compromised, it can be zeroized, eliminating the information with a few key strokes.

"JENM is the connective tissue for the mid and lower tier networks," said Maj. Nathan Rozea, assistant product manager for JENM. "It provides warfighters the ability to design, plan and manage numerous software-defined radios with a single manager while providing network operations capability beyond situational awareness."

Since JENM is interoperable with numerous tactical radio systems, it significantly reduces the time it takes for units to plan and load their radio networks. A key mission at NIE 16.2 is to assess upgrading the current JENM 1.2 version with the updated 3.3 version for program of record radios, including SRW, SINCGARS and SATCOM. Upon a successful materiel release, JENM will field version 3.3 as part of the Army's Network Capability Set 17.

The Army is also using the mid-tier assessment at NIE 16.2 to determine the right Basis of Issue (BOI), or how many radios are needed to optimize the tactical network and effectively provide the data needed to accomplish the mission. Similar to previous NIEs where the Army assessed its radio capability mix at the lower and upper network tiers as those capabilities matured out of the development process, the operational assessment at NIE 16.2 will help determine the BOI for radios at the mid-tier and how they should be used throughout the Brigade Combat Team.

"As we continue to add more capability to the network, we need to have an understanding of how it is working at every tier," said Douglas Wiltsie, executive director of the Army's System of Systems Engineering and Integration Directorate, which helps oversee the NIE process. "Getting operational feedback from commanders and Soldiers at NIE allows the Army to measure the pieces and parts of the network as well as its overall effectiveness."

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